This blog is about my experiences with hypothyroidism and to swap notes with other people. I was diagnosed in 2009 and am still not entirely well, though I’m much better now than I was. I set up a thyroid patients' support group in London in 2010 and we continue to meet regularly and welcome new members. There's lots of info on the net aimed at thyroid patients, much of it contradictory and confusing. My aim is to provide a more balanced perspective and information from credible sources.

Many families are directly affected by thyroid disease. It is very
common - one in 20 of us in the UK have a thyroid disorder - yet they
will have seen little in the media about it.It is largely a hidden disease though in some cases has a devastating impact on people’s lives and can lead to miscarriage or pre-eclampsia if not properly treated in pregnancy.

High profile thyroid patients have included the
popular writers and broadcaster Clare Balding and boy wonder of the 2012 London Paralympics, Josef Craig.

The thyroid gland in your neck produces hormones for the
cells in your body to work normally. When it goes wrong it can have
wide-ranging effects. Up to 20% of
patients have symptoms that prove difficult to resolve. Thyroid disorders can run in families; they
tend to occur mainly in women, but anybody - men, teenagers, children and
babies - can be affected.

While often these disorders are
easily managed, this is not always the case and many specialists agree there is
still a great deal more we need to know about the thyroid and how it works.

Recent research has highlighted the
very real hardship and distress that can be caused by thyroid disease, yet many
doctors admit they are not as sufficiently well-informed as they need to be to
fully help their patients. The internet
can be full of rogue information and scare mongering about thyroid disease which
can lead to confusion and distress among those affected.

Raising
awareness about thyroid disease and supporting patients is vital. Most people would benefit
from being better informed and prepared to deal with thyroid disease, should it
happen to them or someone they are close to.

Set up 21
years ago and still operating from a tiny office in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, heavily reliant on a team of volunteers around the country, BTF operates on a shoestring budget. The charity desperately needs more funding to grow; to
support the increasing numbers of thyroid patients who contact them, by providing
information about their illness they often cannot find anywhere else, and to help
fund more research into thyroid disease.

BTF works closely with the medical profession and other organisations[1],
funding and supporting crucial research projects, doing their best to influence
medical practice on thyroid disorders, ensuring patients’ voices are heard and
creating a strong nationwide volunteer network. But more needs to be done to meet the growing need from patients for information, support and advocacy, as well as to provide more funding
and support for further research.